site.btaFruit Growers Enjoy Abundance in Blooms, but Face Irrigation, Workforce Problems

In a BTA interview, Zhivka Grozdeva, a farmer and board member at the Fruit Growers Association in Bulgaria, said that Bulgaria needs to take important decisions about the future of its agricultural sector as soon as possible. Grozdeva warned that the problem of lack of water for irrigation in Bulgaria is getting worse. According to her, this increasing problem requires urgent actions by state institutions, and more specifically actions in restoring Irrigation Systems EAD’s infrastructure network.

"The need for this [irrigation] system needs to be realized at state level. Of course, with our help, as well, because we, the owners, are the people who must explain why this is necessary. We do not want to hear answers that it would cost some 2 billion, that it is very expensive or that we have nowhere to get the money from. After all, Bulgaria is not among the largest countries in the world. Many larger countries have built irrigation infrastructure and supply their farmers with water from thousands of kilometres away. We simply cannot think that that we are going to have a competitive agriculture and we can be the orchard of Europe without irrigation infrastructure, it cannot happen. As an [agricultural] producer, I have nowhere to get water from. If there is [water], I am ready to pay for it, but there is simply no such possibility," Grozdeva explained.

She added that the majority of farmers across Bulgaria cannot connect to the Irrigation Systems network, as it is simply not there. Furthermore, farmers who have built their own drip irrigation systems have nowhere to connect them.

"In the Karnobat area [southeastern Bulgaria] we use surface water sources. These are mostly dams, but they are almost empty now because the rainfall has been extremely low. The situation is getting worse every year. There are now reservoirs where we can even see the bottom. This is a problem we have been observing for almost nine years," Grozdeva added. An Irrigation Advisory Council has been formed and has held several meetings, she said. According to her, at one of those meetings, a decision was reached to repair dams. "However, here we should talk about something completely different, [something] which will determine the path of Bulgarian agriculture as a whole. At the same time, unfortunately, we hear that there were no engineers in hydro-remediation," she said.

At the same time, the Fruit Growers Association said that favourable weather conditions in early 2024 give hopes of a good fruit crop. "It has been a long time since we have seen such an abundance of blooms. What we are seeing now gives us expectations for an excellent crop of cherries, pears, apples, peaches and more. Currently, our problem is is the lack of rainfall," she underscored.

According to Grozdeva, besides the lack of water, Bulgarian farmers face another major agricultural problem – there is also lack of workforce.

"Western countries import workers from eastern countries. Where do we [import] from? Bulgarian workers are actively looking for jobs in the West. For 7 or 8 years, we have been able to recruit people from third countries, this was done through intermediary companies. Often we were offered people who literally run away after a day or two. These intermediary companies come into conflict with farmers, because they are paid a commission, which is then claimed back. That is why the intermediary companies now avoid looking for people in the agricultural sector," Grozdeva stressed.

During the Consultative Council on Horticulture and Vegetable Production held earlier in April, farmers' organizations demanded the urgent formation of an inter-ministerial task force to address the workforce issue and suggest solutions, she said. Grozdeva added that this task force should consist of representatives of the agricultural sector, the Education Ministry, the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and even the Foreign Ministry.

"The problem of the lack of workers is now complex, it is not just agricultural. We have different schools in our education system, many of which are vocational schools. What is happening with practical trainings? We want to make a bridge between young people and business. In higher education, practical trainings are very few. People come to us from such universities and do not know anything. We must look for a possibility for farmers in different areas to somehow use the Job Centres’ potential. At this moment, this is impossible. Three years ago, we made specific proposals in this direction. For example, why are there no retraining courses in the agricultural sector? I am not saying that we should send them [people who are about to work in agriculture] back to school, but if there are courses for bartenders, there is nothing to prevent them from taking courses for specific jobs in the agricultural sector," Grozdeva noted.